Loss and Love
by Greyfire34
Summary: Naruto is studying to overcome the loss of a comrade and a close friend. He has plunged into a dark depression and has turned to alcohol as a way to forget his pain. Who will be the one to pull him out of his dark realm?
1. Death of a Comrade

"More sake please!" Naruto asked the bartender as he downed his sixth shot. Ino, Temari, TenTen and Hinata walked into the bar and saw that Naruto had decided to take the night to drink away his troubles.

"He's become quite the alcoholic since the incident a few months back…." Ino whispered to her friends. "What incident are you talking about Ino?" Asked Temari. Temari had still been in Suna while the incident occurred. TenTen and Hinata looked down cast as they knew that there was a long drawn out story to be told.

Ino sighed as she began the tale. "Well it began when Tsunade-sama called Naruto and Sakura to her office."

FLASHBACK

Tsunade's desk was filled with papers of missions to be approved. She sighed and looked out the window at an ever busy Konoha, wishing she could be elsewhere instead of doing hours of paperwork. "Tsunade-sama you should really be getting these papers done so you can get out of here on time." Nagged Shizune. Tsunade rolled her eyes and then looked down at her desk. The door slammed open and a familiar pair of blue eyes and blonde hair came through the door.

"Hey Tsunade-obaachan!" Naruto called, "We got your message!"

"UGH BAKA! You are supposed to knock before entering Tsunade-sama office!" complained Sakura.

"Hello Naruto and Sakura," Tsunade said barely looking up from her desk. "We have a serious issue… we have been receiving reports that Uchiha Sasuke has been sighted in different villages, and he has been recruiting for his team the Taka. It seems he intends to make an attack on the Leaf village." Naruto's face suddenly grew very serious. "I leave it to you two to find Sasuke and stop him no matter what."

"You got it Granny! I'll stop Sasuke and bring him back no matter what!" exclaimed Naruto.

"We will do our best Tsunade-sama." Sakura said.

Naruto and Sakura headed off to the land hidden in the stones where Sasuke was predicted to be headed next.

Soon they arrived a few miles away from the village and they were in a forested area. Naruto and Sakura stopped as the voice of Sasuke filled the area. "So I heard you two came looking for me huh…"

"Where are you Sasuke! I will bring you home no matter what it takes!" yelled Naruto.

"Naruto you're still such a dobe…. If you hadn't noticed, I already have you under my genjutsu." An Image of Sakura appeared in front of Naruto. She was strung up by her hands and had shuriken, and kunai protruding for various parts of her body, like she was used for target practice. Bloodstained her lips and her right eye had closed.

"N-Naruto-kun…." Sakura gasped, "S-save m-me…."

'It's not real!' thought Naruto, 'None of this is real!' Sakura placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and yelled "Kai!" to dispel the genjutsu.

"Ah Sakura-chan… Still the smart one as ever I see." Sasuke taunted.

Sasuke had appeared before Naruto, and as expected Naruto charged right at him with all he had not stopping to realize it was a trap. As soon as Naruto attempted to strike Sasuke, he had disappeared behind him a few meters. Sakura took notice of this and charged to save Naruto from the fatal blow Sasuke was going to deal.

"Chidori Sharp Spear!" Sasuke growled, as he infused lightning chakra into his blade and allowed it to shoot out towards Naruto. Just then Sakura jumped down from the tree line facing Naruto and took the chakra blade through her heart.

"S-s-sorry N-Naruto-kun…" Sakura said as a small stream of blood started down the corner of her mouth. She gave Naruto one last weak smile. "B-bakayaro…." With that the chakra blade disappeared. Sakura fell to her knees and face first.

Naruto rushed to her side only to confirm his fear while Sasuke looked on with cold eyes. Naruto looked up at Sakura's murderer with new crimson eyes and tears running down his face. And it wasn't long before he began to sprout his first tail.

FLASHBACK END

"… and they both beat each other within an inch of their lives…. It was only later that merchants happened upon Naruto and took him in and allowed him to recover. But since then he's never been the same." Ino sighed. The girls' mood had gone sour with the story of their fallen comrade.

Meanwhile Naruto was on his eight shot and was very drunk, and began crying loudly about his childhood crush. Hinata couldn't bear to see her crush in such a depression. Naruto would never realize it but he was hurting Hinata just by being like this. Naruto was Hinata's idol of sorts, that ray of sunshine, that stood up for what was right, and showed outstanding courage no matter what situation; The hero of the Hidden Leaf, and hers as well. "Oh Naruto…" she whispered to herself. She looked up at him across the bar with tears in her eyes.

The group of girls had sat down at a table not too far to the blonde haired ninja. They all ordered drinks and engaged in gossip to help forget the previous conversation. All except Hinata who sat in silence staring at her drink and occasionally looking up at Naruto. She would take a few sips every now and then but was always careful to not get drunk in public because it would be a disgrace to her clan.

"Man… Naruto is so beyond drunk it's almost kind of funny if it weren't so sad." Temari remarked as Naruto stopped crying and started singing loudly with the music playing. All of the girls but Hinata giggled in agreement.

"Let's just hope he doesn't try to make too much of a fool out of himself…." TenTen sighed. As she said that Naruto had gotten on top of an empty table and attempted a stage dive and no one tried to catch him, except the floor. Everyone in the bar stopped dead. Some gasped, some laughed but a certain raven haired girl rushed to his aid.

"N-Naruto-kun are you al-lright?" Hinata stammered. Naruto just laughed like nothing ever happened.

"Oh hey Nata' fancy to see you here at this _floor meeting_" Naruto burst into another fit of drunken giggles at his own corny joke.

Hinata sighed at Naruto's antics, and helped him off the floor, then cleaned up the blood from his nose. She decided to walk Naruto home before he found himself in more trouble or hurt himself again.

The walk was fairly silent aside from Naruto's random fits of laughter, snorts, and falling over. They had finally arrived at Naruto's little apartment. Hinata opened to door to find ramen cartons, dirty underwear and socks strewn throughout the apartment. Naturally the apartment had an over powering smell of ramen. At the same time it smelled just like Naruto. Hinata found that somewhat relaxing, and took a deep sniff breathing out in ecstasy.

She helped him to bed and tucked him in. Naruto didn't protest as he was getting pretty tired already. "I'll come c-check on y-you in the afternoon N-Naruto-kun." She wanted to kiss his forehead but she found that her shyness had prohibited for her from doing it.

"Hinata-chan…. S-stay with m-me" Naruto slurred sleepily. The thought of staying the night with Naruto made Hinata turn a shade of crimson. As much as she would love to stay with Naruto, he was drunk and that would make for an awkward time when they woke up. Besides if her cousin Neji or her father Hiashi found out not only would Hinata be disowned and Naruto would be dead.

"Ano… I can't N-Naruto-kun… Otou-sama would be furious…." Naruto had long passed out since she had been contemplating whether to stay or not. So she just gave him a small smile taking note of how cute Naruto looked when he was asleep, turned out the lights and returned home to the Hyuuga compound.


	2. Funerals and Hangovers

**Well hello there viewers how good of you to stop by for another chapter! Sorry for the delayed update, I've been in an opera and have been crazy busy. So thanks for sticking with me! I hope you enjoy this next chapter. **

**DISCLAIMER!: I do not own Naruto in any way shape or form. Until Kishi hands over the rights... BY FORCE!**

* * *

Hinata was walking on her way back to the Hyuuga compound, when and it started to rain just like the day of Sakura's funeral. She looked towards the newly darkened sky as the water droplets hit her face. She gave a gentle sigh and thought back to the day of Sakura's funeral.

FLASHBACK

Hinata looked around in search of finding Naruto. It was no easy task considering the entire village seemed to gather at the funeral to remember Sakura, not to mention everyone was wearing black. A few minutes later she found a very dejected Naruto with his eyes down cast, and his hair sagged from being in the rain. The ceremony had begun and Sakura's casket was decorated with many cherry blossom pedals around it. The first person to get up to speak was Tsunade who talked with high regard for her student. Next Kakashi, Ino, and then finally Naruto. Naruto was already having a hard time speaking in the first place as he told of her heroics that saved his life. Finally couldn't control his tears and sobs and had left the stand.

He came and stood next to Hinata and was trying to bite back his tears to no avail. "Oh Naruto-kun…." Hinata quietly whispered to herself. Then she instinctively put her arms around Naruto's neck and hugged him tightly. Naruto didn't protest and hugged her back; Hinata blushed a little at the contact but held on just so she can be there to comfort Naruto in his time of need.

Naturally Hinata's usual group of girls took notice of the embrace. Since it was a funeral they all found it was inappropriate to say anything about it until afterwards.

Hinata was there for Naruto the entire time and did her best to cheer him up afterwards with whisperings of nonsense words in a soothing tone to help calm him.

END FLASHBACK

Hinata had finally reached the Hyuuga compound where the guards out front gave her a respectful welcome home.

She had finally entered her room and looked at the pictures of herself and Naruto on the wall and softly sighed at them. Often times she would sit in her room and stare at the pictures of her crush on the wall. Sometimes she would find herself talking to the pictures as if she were talking to the real Naruto; and she would say what her head wouldn't let her to the real one. "Naruto-kun… I wish I could help you be happy again. I miss that cheerful ray of sunshine in my life. It hurts me so much to see you like this, this is not who you are at all, I didn't fall in love with this Uzumaki Naruto…. Maybe once I find a way to make you happy you'll finally see me as useful. Maybe you won't love me the way I do, but perhaps I could be used as a tool and be near you… That would be good enough for me even if you don't return my feelings…." Hinata shed a single tear; then one by one more began to fall to the floor. Soon she had sobbed herself to sleep.

* * *

Naruto finally began to stir. "Wow what happened last night?..." Naruto took in his surroundings and realized he was in his own bed in his apartment. 'How did I even get home?' Naruto thought. He began to think long and hard about what happened. Last thing he remembered was big pupil-less lavender eyes and raven hair and the smell lavender with a hint of vanilla. "Hinata! She must have brought me here last night…." Naruto mused. His thoughts were interrupted by a soft timid knock on the door. Of course he had a hangover so the soft knocking sounded like a percussion ensemble.

"Coming!" Naruto slowly got out of bed but managed to trip over a carton of ramen. 'Man I've really got to get these cleaned up some day' he thought. He slowly turned the door knob and opened it to see the raven haired Hyuuga heiress standing before him with what smelled like homemade ramen.

"Oh it's you Hinata-chan! Come on in!" He said still clutching his head.

Hinata cautiously walked into the small apartment. She then proceeded to put the pot on the stove. "I-I brought you some l-lunch in case you were hungry Naruto-kun…" Hinata murmured.

"Oh… Thanks Hinata-chan. I'll get some bowels and drinks for us"

"No, no. I'll do it for you Naruto-kun. I can tell you've got a bit of a hangover from last night."

Naruto thanked Hinata and sat on his couch. Hinata poured the bowls of ramen and got cups of water for her and her crush. She walked over handing his bowl and drink to him, then sliding next to him with hers. The two ninjas of Konoha ate in silence.

Naruto burped loudly causing Hinata to blush and giggle. "That was tasty! You make the best homemade ramen ever Hinata-chan!" Hinata blushed a deeper red at his compliment.

'He perked up rather quickly for someone who has a hangover' Hinata thought. She cleaned up her and Naruto's bowls and glasses then placed them in the sink. "So… Ano N-Naruto-kun?"

"Yes Hinata-chan?"

"Ano, the girls and I were going out to eat tonight… A-and each of us were supposed to bring a d-date… I was wondering i-if you w-would like to g-go with me?" asked Hinata. It truly took all of her strength to ask this single question. Her face had gone beat red and it still took more power of will to keep her from passing out in front of him.

"Ano… Sure Hinata-chan what time should I pick you up?"

Hinata made a muffled squeal that she tried to mask by covering her mouth with her hand. As soon as she realized Naruto had heard it, she colored a deeper mask of red. "Great! I'll be ready at 7! Dress nicely!" Hinata quickly hugged Naruto, which caught him by surprise and dashed out of the apartment so she no longer had to contain her excitement.

"Man that was weird, I don't know why she's so excited…. I mean were just going as friends right?..."Naruto thought out loud. He looked around his home in confusion, "Right…?"

* * *

**Ohhh what will happen on their "date"? Nobody knows! Will Hinata finally confess her love? Will Naruto ever get a clue? Will I get a life? Tune in next time to see how this story begins to unfold! *uses the escape jutsu***


	3. A little help from a Friend

**Surprise! A second chapter in a day! You are welcome haha. I'll admit it I intended for this to be more of a chapter that will tell what happens before the date. So yes it's kind of a filler chapter. I know, I know, sue me. Give it a read anyway, you may like how things will go. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: **

**Naruto: Greyfire-sama does not own me or anyone associated with me dattebayo.  
**

**Hinata: 'But I will soon own you Naruto, just wait and see...'**

**Naruto: Oh hey Hinata-chan!**

**Hinata: EEP! *passes out***

* * *

Later that afternoon….

The door to the Hokage's office slammed open suddenly. "Tsunade obaa-chan!" Naruto huffed, "I need your help!"

The Godamie slowly raised her head from her desk, completely unsurprised by the sudden outburst and sighed. "I really wish you would stop calling me that… What's wrong Naruto?"

Naruto took a minute to catch his breath. He quickly told her all that had happened the past few days. "… Then she asked me to go to dinner with her with friends… she told me I should dress nicely for the event. I don't know what to wear, I've never been invited to a nice dinner with anyone and I'm not even sure if it's a-a date!" Naruto fumbled over the last word.

Tsunade smirked, and then chuckled, and then soon she was bursting with laughter. She really couldn't help herself; Naruto was just as clueless as ever. "What are you laughing at?! This isn't funny it's serious!" Hearing this made Tsunade laugh even harder.

Tsunade finally gathered herself and wiped her eyes while a fuming Naruto stood in the corner waiting impatiently. She cleared her throat. "I'm sorry about that Naruto. It seems that Hinata was indeed asking you on a date. You're lucky I am a patient woman or I would have kicked you out of my office. Be glad that I'm willing to help you with this after rudely slamming my door open for the millionth time. SHIZUNE!" Tsunade called.

Shizune rushed into the office with her pig TonTon in less than thirty seconds. "Y-yes my lady?" she panted.

"I want you to clear your entire schedule for this afternoon and take Naruto shopping for an outfit to wear for his fancy dinner date with Hyuuga Hinata." This caused Shizune had a plastered grin on her face that she couldn't even attempt to hide.

"It would be my pleasure my lady. Come along Naruto." Shizune grabbed Naruto's arm and pulled him out of the room leaving Tsunade in silence by herself.

Tsunade used the absence of Shizune to open her desk drawer and pulled out a bottle of sake and a shot glass and took a sip.

Naruto looked around in the clothing store and was amazed by the vast amount of clothing in the mall. "Woah…" he muttered out loud, "There's so much to choose from, where do we even begin Shizune nee-chan?"

Shizune looked around and cleared her throat, "Well first we should probably look in the nicer clothing section, that's where the kimonos will be. We have to find something for you that will stun Hinata and make her adore you even more."

Naruto blushed a little at that. Wait since when did he blush at the thought of Hinata adoring him? The pair of shinobi walked around to the fancy section and looked through a wide assortment of clothing. Things went from very elaborate and decorative to very plain and simple but stunning none the less. Since Naruto wasn't the type of guy who enjoyed flashy and preferred the more practical side he was obviously more drawn to the simple clothing. He spied a plain black kimono that was made of silk, and the ends of the sleeves were blue along with the hem of the kimono. On the back of it was the land of the hidden eddies symbol. "Ninety dollars… not bad…. I'll take it".

Getting a nod of approval from Shizune, Naruto approached the counter to pay for the kimono. Shizune had left his side to go look at the cologne section while he paid. She came back with three bottles. "Hey Naruto, you should test these bottles of cologne to see which you like best, although I prefer bottle number two."

Naruto took the bottle and tested them. The first bottle smelled almost like the ocean. "Mmm… I like this but I don't know if it's best suited for my personality." He grabbed the second bottle and sprayed it and it had a cinnamon sort of flare to it. "This one smells really good, Hinata would definitely like this. But, I feel like it would get annoying after a while." He sprayed the final bottle and smiled. "I really like this one; it has a very woodsy scent to it. It's very pleasant but not in your face, I think I'll take this one!" He took the bottle and paid for that one as well.

"Alright Naruto, go home and take a long hot shower, and be sure to wash your hair. Don't keep her waiting too long alright? Also hold doors open for her and walk her to her house. Please don't mess this up or she could be heart broken."

"No problem nee-chan! You can count on me!" Naruto made hand signs and disappeared into a cloud of smoke.

Naruto reappeared in his apartment and set down his purchases. He looked around his small apartment.

"Geez this place is a wreck" Naruto muttered to himself. He took notice of all the empty beer bottles and ramen cartons scattered across the floor. "Maybe it's time I took better care of this place…. Especially if Hinata were to ever come to hang out or something." He called up four kage bunshins and ordered them to clean the apartment while he went to go get ready for his dinner with Hinata. They all gave a salute and a "You can count on us" and went to work.

After finishing his shower Naruto stepped out in the living room and noticed everything was spotless. His doplegangers sat together on the couch making conversation among themselves. Not surprisingly they were talking about how they felt about Sakura and Hinata. They were very conflicted just as the real Naruto was. "Hey guys, thanks for all your hard work." The real Naruto said. His clones all gave him his famous foxy grin. He let them talk among themselves for a bit longer.

Naruto walked into his bed room and took out his new kimono and put it on. He put on his new cologne and stood in the mirror. The other Narutos snuck up behind him. One of them gave a whistle and while the others gave various cat calls.

"Hey looking good there sexy!" one called out.

"Man I swear some guys do anything to look as good as me!" another called out.

The real Naruto turned around laughing. "Alright guys that's enough, thanks for your support. I'm glad you all like this!" The clones gave him big cheesy grins and thumbs up. The real Naruto dispelled his clones and began to stroll out of his apartment and into the streets of Konoha.

He had finally arrived at the large Hyuuga compound. He walked up to the Hyuuga guards.

"What business do you have here Uzumaki-san?" one guard asked.

"I'm here for my date with Hinata-chan." Naruto responded.

Just then Hiashi appeared from inside of the compound. He had his famous Hyuuga scowl on his face as usual. "So you're going on a date with my Hinata. You'd better watch yourself demon boy. If you hurt her I'll-"

Hinata came out from behind her father. "Please stop father he won't do anything I promise." Hiashi gave the nastiest Hyuuga glare Naruto had seen, then turned away to go back inside the compound.

Once Hiashi was away Naruto's focus were purely on Hinata. She was wearing a white kimono with lavender flowers that decorated the lower part of the outfit, she also had a matching white parasol with a similar design on it.

"Ano… Hi N-Naruto…." Hinata blushed.

"Wow Hinata, you look amazing!" Naruto said with wide eyes.

Hinata blushed shades of red that weren't thought to be possible for her. Naruto had actually complimented her! That means he is actually recognizing her and her existence! She could just die with happiness; she felt herself beginning to pass out. No! She would not let herself faint right now, not when she was so close to getting something she's wanted for a very long time.

"Ano…. You look great too Naruto-kun…." Hinata gave a small smile.

"Thanks! Shall we get going? Don't want to keep the others waiting." Naruto said. He opened up a loop between his body and his arm so Hinata could put her arm between. Then they headed to Yakiniku for a barbequing of a life time.

* * *

**Interesting how things will shape up. Will there be mishap or will things go smoothly? What do I mean by a Barbequing of a life time?! I don't even know the answer! (Hasn't begun writing it yet haha) Please keep reading! Leave comments and reviews on what should end up happening if I see one I like I'll use it. If I don't, well you tried haha! Thanks for reading so far :D  
**


	4. Chapter 4: GO HOME KIBA YOU'RE DRUNK!

**Hey guys, sorry about the long wait. Finals week is almost upon us and I was having a little spell of writer's block. So here's this chapter I sincerely hope you all enjoy it. I worked on this for about four hours today and its currently the longest chapter today! Read and Review if there's thing you want to see let me know, or tell me if I should stop writing this and pick up curling haha. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Hinata if I did they would be happily married and having lots of children.**

* * *

Naruto and Hinata soon arrived at Yakiniku. As soon as they walked in the door they could hear Kiba's loud laughter. The hostess let the pair into the largest room they had to offer. They couple was a few minutes late because the Hyuuga compound was so far away.

They had entered the room which was crowded with their friends. Temari was with Shikamaru, Ino was with Choji, and TenTen was with Neji and Kiba just kind of invited himself. When Neji saw Hinata with Naruto his eyes instantly narrowed; he began to open his mouth to threaten Naruto without a doubt, but TenTen knew what he planned to do and covered his mouth turning his would be threats to harmless muffled sounds.

"Hush Neji" TenTen hissed, "Do not ruin this date for Hinata, she has worked long and hard to get Naruto's attention she would be crushed if anything went wrong."

Neji sighed and conceded. Soon the waitress came and brought the various meat cuts for them to grill themselves. Not surprisingly Choij was the first to begin grilling and eating his food like a machine as Ino scolded him. Some alcohol was served seeing as everyone was old enough to drink. The only ones who chose to drink were Shikamaru who would take little sips of sake every now and then, and Kiba who was just guzzling all his alcohol and would ask for more every few minutes. Naruto decided against drinking because he was trying to appear like he had his act together in front of his friends.

Naruto placed two slices of meat on the grill for Hinata and himself absent mindedly. He continued to stare off into space just lost in thought.

"Ano… Naruto-kun? What's wrong? I-is there s-something w-wrong?" Hinata asked.

Naruto snapped back to the real world. "Oh uh it's nothing! I'm absolutely fine!" He tried putting on his genuine smile but Hinata knew better. Naruto was still thinking about Sakura and how she Naruto, and Kakashi went to lunch at Yakiniku one time.

"H-hey Naruuutooo" Kiba said in a drunken slur. "I see you got over that Sakura biittchh and got with Hinata! It's about timeee, Sakura didn't even have any boobs! Plus she only cared about Sasuke! Hinata is sooo much sexier! She's got the curves in _ALL_ the right places and-"

Before Kiba could finish his sentence Naruto had rushed over to the other side of the room and slammed Kiba in the wall faster than anyone's eyes could follow. His eyes were crimson his whiskers had broadened, and his teeth were more beast like. Everyone stopped to watch what was going to happen besides Hinata who looked down and was fiercely blushing.

"Don't you ever talk that way about Sakura again!" Naruto roared. "How dare you talk that way about Sakura or Hinata-chan. Apologize now!"

Kiba was so shocked that it actually managed to sober him up a bit. "Ano…. Gomenasi Naruto and Hinata… I didn't know what I was thinking…. I think I'll leave now." Naruto released Kiba's throat and Kiba quickly exited the restaurant. Naruto's eyes had returned back to normal and he went back to sit with Hinata and rubbed his head. Everything was still quiet.

"How troublesome…." Sighed Shikamaru as he casually took a sip of his sake.

"Sorry about that Hinata-chan… I guess I'm still a bit upset about Sakura's death. And the way he was talking about her and you…." Naruto looked Hinata up and down without even realizing it. This caused Hinata to blush a dark red. 'Wow Kiba was totally right' Naruto thought, 'She really does have all the right curves in the right places… how could I not have realized this beforehand?'

"Ano… N-Naruto? You're st-staring at m-me…." Hinata fumbled. Naruto realized his gaze had stopped right over Hinata's breasts and Hinata had made an attempt to hide herself.

"Naruto you're such a pig! Stop staring at Hinata's chests!" Ino yelled from across the room. Everyone started laughing. This time it was Naruto and Hinata who were both red with embarrassment. When Hinata looked at Ino, Ino threw Hinata a subtle wink. Hinata quickly noticed that Ino was enjoying this. Meanwhile Neji was absolutely furious and was giving the infamous Hyuuga glare at Naruto, and was completely ignoring TenTen's pleadings. Fortunately Naruto hadn't noticed in the least bit.

"G-gomenasi Hinata-chan, I-I really didn't mean it I promise…" Hinata just looked down with a small smile and a still reddened face. For a second Naruto's fox enhanced ears picked up what sounded like a giggle.

"It's ok N-Naruto-kun It was an a-accident r-right?" the heiress gently sighed.

"Ano…. Yeah! For Sure!" Naruto exclaimed. It was like the whole room was holding their breaths waiting to see just how the situation would turn out. When they saw that the situation was finally over they all released their held in breaths and laughed.

"What's going on?! Why are you all laughing?" Naruto panicked, "Is there something on my face?"

"Naruto… You… big baka!" Ino said between breaths. Everyone just couldn't help but laugh at how awkward the situation was even Neji couldn't help himself. Ino finally caught her breath, "Don't worry about it Naruto, it's nothing."

Everyone continued eating and talking among themselves. Hinata was content to sit quietly while Naruto told her stories of when he was back on Team 7. She loved how he would really get into his story telling and how he would act out things with his hands. She loved how his eyes would light up when he'd get excited about certain parts of the story. She smiled at him soaking up every last detail. He was so good at story telling it was like she was sitting and watching the tale unfold right in front of her eyes. Her gaze wandered to his electric blue eyes and she was already hypnotized by them.

"Hinata? Ano… Hinata-chan?" Hinata finally snapped out of her daze embarrassed that she was caught staring at him.

"Huh? Oh gomen Naruto-kun…"

"Ano… So… Why did you choose me as a date? Now that I think about it… You're always there for me when I needed it like at Sakura's funeral."

'Oh Kami-sama…. He had to!' Thought Hinata, 'What do I say? If I tell him the truth he might think I'm a freak and never speak to me again… But what if he returns my feelings?'

"Ano…. I-I l-like you a-lot N-Naruto-kun…. You've always inspired me even when we were in the a-academy. You n-never gave up when everyone deemed y-you a failure. I've always r-respected that a-and my f-feelings for y-you grew."

"Wow…" Naruto responded. 'How could I have been so stupid? She has been here right in front of me all this time how could I have not noticed her?! I mean she's absolutely gorgeous and she always smells great. She has a cute smile, she always puts others before herself even if it means she would get hurt.'

Hinata's eyes began to well up and she began to sniffle. She lowered her head as a single tear rolled down her angelic face. She felt a hand lift her face and a thumb wipe her tear from her face.

"Hey what's wrong Hina-chan, why are you crying?"

"You didn't r-respond, and y-you looked d-disgusted with m-me and you r-rejected me j-just like my f-family…."

"What?! How could I ever reject one of my precious people? And how can I be disgusted by the Hyuuga Heiress. If anything I am absolutely amazed that you could even possibly like orphaned trash like me!... in fact I think I might even like you a bit…."

"R-really Naruto-kun?"

"Yes Hime." Hinata suddenly threw her arms around Naruto completely red faced. This caused Naruto to blush as well as he embraced her.

This earned a large collective "Aww" from the rest of the shinobi watching the couple; although Neji didn't like that Naruto actually returned her feelings but he was happy that his cousin was finally able to be happy.

The sun had long set and it was late at night. Everyone said their goodbyes as they had gotten ready to depart after paying their respective bills. Naruto had helped Hinata up off the floor and held her hand. They walked out into the streets of Konoha in a comfortable silence just enjoying each other's company. Finally they had arrived at the Hyuuga compound. Hinata looked into the night sky.

"The stars are really beautiful tonight…." Hinata sighed, clearly upset they had arrived at their destination so quickly.

"Yeah" agreed Naruto, "But not nearly as beautiful as you Hinata-hime." At this Hinata burst into a fit of giggling.

"T-Thanks Naruto-kun, I had a lot of fun tonight…"

"Really? I was afraid you weren't enjoying yourself with what happened with Kiba and everything."

"Oh no! I can't believe you thought that! I was with you, how could I not enjoy myself?"

She hugged him very tightly and Naruto returned her embrace. They sat there in that position for a while, Hinata inhaled Naruto's woodsy scent and sighed in ecstasy. Hinata pulled back to look at her long time crush and possible future lover. She felt his head coming closer his lips drawing her to him. This is something she only dreamed of, something she never thought would ever come true. Yet here she was about to lock lips with the man she's loved for most of her life. She drew in closer to him.

Finally their lips collided, albeit clumsily at first but soon they finally found their rhythm and deepened the kiss. They briefly separated to take in air but returned to kiss with more intense passion and surprisingly it was Hinata who first entered Naruto's mouth to explore his cave. And Naruto did the same to her.

Hiashi had been standing there watching the exchange the between his daughter and the Kyuubi container. "Hrrmph" Hiashi loudly cleared his throat.

The couple broke the kiss and turned away from each other red faced.

"Ano…. Hello f-father…." Hinata said meekly.

"Hinata come inside now. We will talk in the morning." Hiashi said sternly.

"Uh, bye Hinata! I'll see you later!" Naruto called. This instantly earned him the coldest Hyuuga glare Hiashi could manage. With that Naruto took to the roof tops and headed home.

When Hinata was in her room she activated her Byakugan watching Naruto to make sure he gets home safely.

* * *

**BOOM! AND ITS DONE! What will happen next time on Loss and Love? *Cues dramatic soap opera* READ AND REVIEW or you will make Hinata cry. And who wants to see Hinata cry?!**


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